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Cam Chest – Big Bore – Auto Tune

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Mobile Motorcycle Dyno Experts

Get the most out of your motorcycle. We tune all brands & styles of motorcycles. From mild to wild.

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Over 25 Years Experience!

“I’ve worked for over 25 years as an ASE certified master mechanic.”

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This month’s Featured Bike is a 1994 Harley FXDWG

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About Max Power Dyno

about_us My name is Ernest “E.T.” Smith. While growing up, I learned as much as possible about how things work. After an extended enlistment in the U.S. Air force as a jet engine and aircraft mechanic, I worked for over 25 years in auto dealerships as an ASE master mechanic. There I developed excellent troubleshooting skills and a very good understanding of engines, transmissions, drivelines, electrical, carburetor and fuel injection systems.

I discovered the need for a knowledgeable tuner and skilled dyno operator in the Concord, N.C. area. To fill that need I started Max Power Mobile Dyno. After years of tuning all styles and brands of motorcycles, we became a Dyno-jet Authorized Power Commander Tuning Center.

Being the owner of Harley’s for over 30 years, it became necessary to learn them inside and out. This led to Max Power Dyno providing shop Harley services and repairs, engine and transmission overhauls, with all levels of performance.

We are a small business that works on quality and not quantity. We provide quality repairs with attention to details at affordable prices. Being small allows us to get to know every customer and their needs, so they know what to expect and why before I start their build or repairs.

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Dyno Services

We provide torque / horsepower readings with graphs. Air fuel ratios (AFR) at all throttle and RPM positions as part of a through dyno evaluation. We do before / after comparison runs, even if we do not build or tune your bike.
We are a Dyno-jet Authorized Power Commander Tuning Center for all makes and models. We build custom maps for all major brands of adjustable fuel injection tuning systems.
Installation and tuning of Dyno-jet carburetor kits for all carbureted makes and models.
Speedometer accuracy (electronic speedos only).
Dyno will run bikes up to 107 inches in length from front of ft. wheel to rear axle.

Same as in-shop except we can come to your shop. Our service allows you to provide dyno services to customers without the expense of owning a dyno or training operators.
Use us to draw a crowd to your shop, bike night, horsepower shootout, customer appreciation days or any motorcycle related events.
Mobile dyno and operator are available for rent by the hour or day. $100.00/hour or 8 hours for $600.00. Requires a minimum of 5 hours or $500.00. There may be a fuel surcharge if you’re more than 50 miles outside of Concord, N.C. Please see mobile dyno rental agreement.

All levels of street performance engines, stage 1 to complete rebuilds.
In house crankshaft balancing and truing, (all except twin cam press pin cranks).
Press pin cranks are outsourced for repair.
Timken left crankshaft bearing conversion (2003-present).
Locally sourced high performance piston and engine coatings.
Heads from skilled local machinist with over 30 year’s experience with porting, flowing and machining heads used in all forms of racing and street engines.

Complete Harley Davidson maintenance services.
Troubleshooting and repairs for all Harley Davidson systems.
Minor repair and services for all other brands and styles of motorcycles.

Please Note: Prices may vary and a more accurate estimate will be given after bike arrives at Max Power Dyno. Performance engine prices have so many variables that price quotes must be given on each bike. Please call to discuss your bike. 704 756-8972. American

Stock carburetors, including performance jet kit	$250.00
S&S carburetors	$200.00
Mikuni	$350.00
Ignition Tuning	$50.00
Baffle Tuning	$100.00

Metric Cruisier

Stock carburetors, including performance jet kit

$350.00

Sportbike

Stock carburetors, including performance jet kit

$400.00

Fuel Injection

Power Commanders, full custom map	$350.00
Harley Davidson Super Tuner, full custom map	$400.00
TTS, full custom map	$400.00
Zippers Thunder-Max Auto Tune, full auto tune map	$250.00
S&S Pro Tune, full custom map	$350.00
BAZZAZ, full custom map	$350.00

Max Power Dyno in Action

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What will a dyno evaluation tell me about my motorcycle?

Dyno shows torque / horsepower with air fuel ratio (AFR) at 100% throttle and checks AFR’s at any throttle position and RPM from idle to redline. Checking air fuel ratios determines if there are any excessively lean or rich conditions and where they are in the RPM range. This allows the dyno evaluation, AFR’s and graph to determine if full tune is required. Dyno can check for any unusual noises or vibrations and the condition of drivetrain and clutches. Dyno can check accuracy of electronic speedometers.

2. Do I need a dyno tune?

Only if dyno evaluation shows excessive AFR’s that could cause engine damage. If you have installed performance upgrades or modified stock parts a dyno tune will always be required.

3. Which fuel injection tuning systems have you been factory trained on?

We are a Dynojet Authorized Power Commander Tuning Center. That means we have the latest Dynojet dyno, hardware, software and operating system. We have completed comprehensive Power Commander tuning training which allows us access to Power Commander Tuning Center software. Hardware and software combine to write a full custom map for any bike with a Power Commander installed.

We are a Thunder-Max Authorized Tuning Center. We received factory training on Thunder-Max’s Auto Tune system utilizing Wave-Tune technology. That means we have access to Thunder-Max’s Advanced User Tuning Software. Training included installation and setup, use of software and how to maximize Thunder-Max’s excellent self-diagnostics and troubleshooting capabilities.

Dynojet Vision Tuning Center coming soon.

4. Can you tune carbureted bikes?

Yes. All bikes with factory carburetors require installation of a performance kit. This kit replaces non-adjustable factory fuel circuits with adjustable parts to allow tuning across entire RPM operating range. Performance kits are available from Dyno-jet and other manufactures that fit almost every brand and size of carbureted bikes. Most aftermarket carburetors have factory adjustable fuel circuits. They do not require performance kits but do require jet changes and dyno tuning of fuel circuits.

5. Can I do performance upgrades in stages?

Yes, but you need to make a plan. Ideally you want to install components that can be used for future upgrades. This is not always the case. We can help by showing you options and deciding on the best course of action.

6. What kind of builds does Max Power Dyno specialize in?

We specialize in all levels of performance Harley Davidson street engines. They are affordable, dependable, ride-able and can be used as daily riders. Except for large displacement and or high compression engines these builds do not require compression releases, starter upgrades, clutch upgrades or rear chain conversions. They have smooth idles, do not overheat and run on pump gas (93 octane). They satisfy most rider’s power needs.

7.How do I choose a fuel injection tuning system?

The advanced systems allow for mixture and timing adjustments for individual cylinders, under all engine operating conditions and RPM’s. They allow adjustments to idle RPM on throttle by wire bikes and rev-limiters on all bikes. Auto tune systems are more expensive, but provide the best results and are worth the added cost. If choosing a auto tune system, for best results, it must utilize Wide Band o2 sensors. Narrow Band o2 sensors (stock on Harley Davidson) have a smaller operating range that cannot accurately control richer mixtures required in some RPM ranges. We do not recommend any system that only plugs in-line to the fuel injectors. They are affordable but have limited adjustability and do not allow for timing or rev-limiter changes. We achieve good results with most tuning systems but our personal preferences are:

Thunder-Max Auto Tune for Harley Davidson.
Dynojet Power Commander for all other fuel injected bikes.

Both of these tuners have full range of mixture and timing adjustments with idle RPM and rev-limiter control. They both have the best customer support for Tuning Centers and end users. Max Power Dyno has experience tuning these systems:

Power Commander
Thunder-Max Auto Tune
Dynojet Vision
Screamin Eagle Super Tuner
TTS
S&S Pro Tune
Bazzaz
FP3

8. How do I choose a cam?

When choosing a cam for your street motor, it is most important to consider the RPM range you want power to be in. Other considerations include type and weight of the bike and rider, riding style and performance upgrades that have been or will be installed. Remember that a cam designed for upper RPM horsepower will suffer minimum to no gains in lower RPM ranges, also low RPM cams will be flat in upper RPM ranges. Choosing a cam will always be a trade off for horsepower amount expected and RPM range you want gains in. Most cam manufactures will have a selection of grinds that work well in street motors. They have a balance of torque / horsepower gains across the RPM range without having large gains or losses in any RPM range. For a street motor a smooth linear horsepower curve is usually preferred over a large gain in a narrow RPM range. We can help you choose a cam that meets your requirements.

9. What is included with camshaft replacement?

Stock Harley lifters and cam bearings are prone to failure when higher than stock lift cams are Insta

lled. If they fail it can cause severe engine damage that is very expensive to repair. See photo left. Lifters and bearings will always be replaced with heavy duty made in USA components. We also use Quick Install Tapered Pushrods. We check and record crankshaft runout and endplay. We clearance pinion bearing boss for higher lift cams and adjust Tappet Anti-Rotation Pins to minimum specs., to minimize tappet noise. We also install made in the USA automotive style Hydraulic Chain Tensioners (except gear drive cams). The above procedures will be performed with all cam changes to protect your engine from possible failure. We recommend performing Cam Chest Upgrade. See FAQ’s #12. Upgrade includes parts for cam replacement plus installing billet High-Pressure Cam Plate / Oil Pump with 60 psi oil pressure relief valve that does not leak pressure. This Upgrade lowers oil temperature, is quiet, dependable and provides a solid foundation for any future performance upgrades.

10. What exhaust system should I use?

In most cases the best overall performing street exhaust are 2 into 1 with stepped head pipes, a free flowing collector and replaceable and or tune-able baffle. 2 into1 into 2 style head pipes with free flowing slip-ons work well as long as head pipe is stepped and does not have a catalytic converter. Touring bike true duals are very popular and work well in mid to upper RPM range, but suffer lower RPM range losses with stock or slightly modified motors. Open drag pipes work best in upper RPM’s near or at the rev-limiter. They suffer very large bottom and mid-range RPM losses. They cause drivability problems and can be difficult to tune in lower RPM range. They should be reserved for the drag strip and not on a street bike. If you like the look of drag pipes, consider systems with stepped head pipes, a hidden crossover or power chambers and replaceable baffles that can be modified. (Do not run without any baffle). Within reason you should be able to find any style you like that will work with your engine combination. There may be a small trade off in some RPM ranges but should not cause any drivability issues. One last thing to remember, is “don’t associate loud exhaust with horsepower”. In almost all cases they make more noise than power.

11. Can I use gear drive cams?

Gear drive cams offer spot-on cam timing with the least amount of internal friction losses (easiest to turn). They also eliminate all cam chains and tensioners as well as any future maintenance issues inside the cam chest. To run gear drive cams, the condition of the crankshaft must be checked and brought into minimum specs. to prevent noise and possible engine or cam drive gear damage. To bring an out of spec crankshaft up to gear drive standards is very expensive. This repair does insure your engine has a very strong lower end and allows for future upgrades to be installed on a solid foundation. It will greatly extend the life expectancy of the lower end. If crankshaft readings are out of specs for gear drive cams but in specs for chain drive cams, cam chest can be upgraded. This upgrade replaces all items in cam chest with stronger more dependable types. This helps add to stronger lower end and cam chest. See FAQ# 12

12. What is cam chest upgrade?

Cam chest upgrades is for replacing all factory parts in the cam chest with stronger more dependable types. Upgrades include all new heavy-duty bearings, billet cam plate, high pressure-high volume oil pump, lifters, adjustable pushrods, and automotive style hydraulic oil pressure tensioners. All items are made in USA. The factory installed bearings, tensioners, cam plate and oil pump are prone to failure. When they do fail it can cause severe engine damage that adds a large expense to repair cost. I recommend this upgrade anytime repairs are performed in cam chest. See FAQ #9(cam replacement). This upgrade works with gear drive cams, chain drive cams, and to update old style spring chain tensioners with 2007 up automotive style hydraulic oil pressure tensioners. This upgrade is dependable and very quiet.

13. What is a crankshaft left bearing conversion and do I need it?

2003 and up Twin Cam motors use a single roller style left crankshaft main bearing also known as “sprocket shaft bearing”. This bearing allows for excessive crankshaft endplay and no provision to adjust or maintain that endplay. Increasing power to 100+ rear wheel horsepower, increases chances of bearing failure. Screamin eagle offers a heavy-duty roller style bearing “Lefty Bearing” that is stronger than stock but does not allow for endplay adjustment. A better upgrade is to install a sprocket shaft bearing conversion kit. This conversion allows installation of 2002 and back double tapered Timken bearing set-up. This configuration allows for use of stock bearings and shims to set and maintain endplay to minimum specs. of .001-.003. Engine must be completely disassembled to press conversion sleeve in left engine case half. I recommend this conversion anytime a 2003 and newer twin cam crankshaft is removed for any reason.

14. How do I read the graph printout?

The graph is made up of several vertical and horizontal grid lines with 2 vertical axes, and 1 horizontal axis. Most dyno operators including Max Power Dyno label the left vertical axis as horsepower and the right vertical axis as torque. The lower horizontal axis is labeled either RPM or speed depending on what the operator is checking. If measuring horsepower only, the right vertical axis will be labeled as none and only the horsepower curve will be displayed. The horsepower curve is the darker shade of color graph line. It starts at lower left corner of graph, crosses torque curve (if displayed) at 5252 rpm’s and climbs to upper right corner of graph and stops at rev-limiter. The torque curve is the lighter shade of color graph line. It starts toward upper left corner above horsepower curve and continues across the grid, crosses horsepower curve at 5252 rpm’s and ends toward lower right corner of graph, below horsepower curve. The lower horizontal axis will show rpm’s or speed from the start of dyno run until the stop of the run. This allows you to see your horsepower or torque readings at any rpm or speed from start to end of a dyno run at 100% throttle. Torque and horsepower curves should always cross at 5252 rpm’s because 5252 rpm is a constant in torque / horsepower mathematical formulas (see terms, horsepower and torque). If they cross anywhere else, dyno is inaccurate or settings for displaying info on graph are not correct.

Terms & Definitions

1. Horsepower (HP) = torque x RPM / 5252

5252 is a constant derived from 17th century definition of horsepower. HP is a measure of how much work an engine can do in a given amount of time. Looking at the HP formula above you can see that increasing an engines torque at any rpm will also increase HP at that rpm. Additionally, if torque remains constant but rpm increases then HP will increase in direct proportion to rpm. Past peak torque where torque starts to drop off, horsepower can still increase as long as rpm increases faster than torque drops.

2. Torque (TQ) = horsepower x 5252 / RPM

5252 is the same constant used in horsepower formula. Torque is a twisting or turning force, engineers measure in “pound-feet”. Most people use the term ft/lbs or lbs. of torque. 1 ft/lb is equal to a 1-pound force applied at the end of a 1-foot lever. Looking at TQ formula above you can see that just as in HP formula, if you increase TQ, horsepower has to increase at a given rpm. This is why it is better to concentrate on improving torque within the rpm range where you want the most performance gains. Since torque / horsepower curves always cross at 5252 rpm, any engine will always produce more torque than horsepower below 5252 rpm’s, and more horsepower than torque above 5252 rpm’s. This is why very high rpm engines can produce large amounts of horsepower with relatively low torque numbers.

3. Air Fuel Ratio (AFR): expressed as 14.7 to 1 or 14.7:1

Air fuel ratio is a measure of the air by weight compared to the amount of fuel by weight that is used for combustion in an internal combustion engine. The first number is the weight of air. The 2nd number the weight of fuel. The theoretical AFR to achieve complete burning of air/fuel mixture during power stroke is 14.7:1. This is referred to as “stoichiometric”. This means that it takes 14.7 lbs. of air to completely burn 1lb. of fuel. A lower air number means less air for a given amount of fuel (richer mixture). A higher air number means more air for the same given amount of fuel (leaner mixture). AFR’s will change depending on engine needs. Idle requires 13.5-13.8:1, to idle smooth and lower engine temperatures at idle. Low rpm and throttle positions require 13.0-13.5:1. Low load cruise rpm ranges use 13.5-14.0:1. Heavy load 60-100% throttle require 12.5-13.5:1. AFR’s are not carved in stone and will vary for different engine combinations and can fall out of above AFR ranges. This is ok and changing AFR’s is how a tuner can optimize fuel mixtures during a dyno tune. These adjustments can be performed on carbureted or fuel injected motorcycles.

4. Look-up Tables

The fuel injection control unit uses information from several external sensors and look-up tables to determine how long to open the fuel injectors (injector duration or pulse width), and when to fire the spark plugs (timing). Look-up tables are software driven and programmed into the fuel control units E-PROM (the brains of the control unit). Look-up tables run continuously in the background and help the control unit to achieve perfect air fuel ratios under all operating conditions. As a tuner we don’t have access to all look-up tables, just the ones that allow adjustment of air fuel ratio’s and ignition timing. These tables give tuners the ability to adjust fuel injected bikes.

5. Maps

A map is the total of all look-up tables (see #4 above), running in the background that are programmed for a given engine combination. The map helps the control unit make decisions on how to operate fuel injectors and spark plugs, to achieve required air fuel ratios under all operating conditions.

6. Custom Maps

Look-up tables (see #4 above) that allow adjustment to air fuel ratios and spark timing are set-up like an Excel spreadsheet. The rows on left are engine RPM’s from below idle to past its rev limiter. The columns on top are throttle positions from 0%(idle) to 100% (full) throttle. Where throttle position and RPM intersect there is a cell with a number inside. Changing that number adjusts air fuel ratios or spark timing in that cell. A custom map checks every cell to make sure fuel delivered through injectors matches the amount of air actually going through the engine at that RPM and throttle position (cell). This allows tuner to achieve optimum air fuel ratios for your combination of performance parts. Custom map is written specifically for your bike in all cells from idle to full throttle. Most systems allow for tuning each cylinder individually for even better performance and drivability. Custom maps are worth the time and money to make sure that you have no drivability issues and that you are getting the most horsepower from your performance upgrades. Cruise RPM ranges can also be adjusted for fuel mileage, because max horsepower is not required while riding in cruise range (low throttle positions, low to mid RPM’s).

7. Crankshaft

Crankshaft, sometimes referred to as “flywheels” in a Harley Davidson engine, are made of heavy steel and mounted in main bearings inside the engine cases or “lower end”. It is designed to rotate on an axis through the center of its 2 main shafts. Crankshafts transfer the reciprocating (up/down) motion of pistons and connecting rods into rotating motion that is used to turn camshafts and drive the rear wheels through the primary and transmission.

8. Camshaft

A shaft with oval shaped lobes along its length. It rotates on its center axis and is timed to crankshaft rotation (see #7 above). It is used to transfer rotating motion into reciprocating (up/down) motion to open close and close intake and exhaust valves at the proper time during crankshaft rotation.

9. Lifters

Lifters or “tappets” are devices with rollers that are used to follow oval shaped lobes on a camshaft. They transfer camshaft lobe lift to the valves through pushrods and rocker arms.

10. Camshaft Duration

The amount of time, measured in crankshaft degrees, that a camshaft holds an intake or exhaust valve off its seat (open).

11. Cam Lift

The distance, in thousands of an inch, that a cam lobe raises the lifter from its lowest point (base circle) to its highest point (tip of lobe).

12. Valve Lift

The distance, in thousands of an inch, that a valve moves from a closed position to fully open position.

13. Compression Ratio (CR): Expressed as ____ to 1

Compression Ratio is a measure of the amount of air/fuel mixture pulled into a cylinder during engine intake stroke and the amount that charge is compressed in the combustion chamber during engine compression stroke. The larger the CR number, the more compression the motor has. Most stock engines have 8-9.5 to 1 CR. Street performance engines 10-11 to 1 CR. If running 93 octane pump gas, most engines will be limited to 10.5 to 1 CR or less. This helps to eliminate spark knock in low and middle RPM ranges.